Seeing Red: A History of Natives in Canadian Newspapers

The first book to examine the role of Canada's newspapers in perpetuating the myth of Native inferiority. Seeing Red is a groundbreaking study of how Canadian English-language newspapers have portrayed Aboriginal peoples from 1869 to the present day. It assesses a wide range of publications on topics that include the sale of Rupert's Land, the signing of Treaty 3, the North-West Rebellion and Louis Riel, the death of Pauline Johnson, the outing of Grey Owl, the discussions surrounding Bill C-31, the "Bended Elbow" standoff at Kenora, Ontario, and the Oka Crisis. The authors uncover overwhelming evidence that the colonial imaginary not only thrives, but dominates depictions of Aboriginal peoples in mainstream newspapers. The colonial constructs ingrained in the news media perpetuate an imagined Native inferiority that contributes significantly to the marginalization of Indigenous people in Canada. That such imagery persists to this day suggests strongly that our country lives in denial, failing to live up to its cultural mosaic boosterism.

Author: Mark Cronlund Anderson,Carmen L. Robertson
Publisher: University of Manitoba Press
Published: 09/02/2011
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780887557279

Review Citation(s):
Quill & Quire 11/01/2011 pg. 33
Choice 04/01/2012

About the Author
Robertson, Carmen L.: - Carmen Robertson is a Scots Lakota woman with two daughters from in and around the Qu'Appelle Valley in Saskatchewan. She is also an Indigenous Art Historian and the Canada Research Chair in North American Indigenous Art and Material Culture at Carleton University.Anderson, Mark Cronlund: - Mark Cronlund Anderson is the author of four books, including Pancho Villa's Revolution by Headlines and Cowboy Imperialism and Hollywood Film, which won the 2010 Cawelti Prize for Best Book in American Culture. He is a professor of history at Luther College, University of Regina.